3. Kerry Washington

You know her from the ABC drama “Scandal,” in which she plays Olivia Pope, a crisis management expert to the President of the United States. She actually made her screen debut in 1994, with no notable roles until she landed the female lead in Spike Lee’s “She Hate Me” in 2004. She received rave reviews and a wider audience began to take notice. She went on to appear in many films and is known for her roles as Ray Charles’s wife in “Ray” and Idi Amin’s wife in “The Last king of Scotland.” When “Scandal” premiered, Kerry Washington was the first black actress to star in a network TV dramatic series in almost 40 years.